Canines and Felines

Canis familiaris – Official term for dogs
o Terms
 Pack – dogs typically live in packs
 Dam – mother, Sire – father
 Breed – Classification of different dogs by characteristics
 Show, competition, companion – different uses for dogs
o Leader of the pack
 Dogs are described as dominant or submissive in personality
 The most dominant dog of a pack is known as the “alpha” dog
 Changes in the “pecking order” can lead to behavioral as well as physical health problems
o Reproduction
 Puberty in dogs is anywhere from six to eight months to over a year old (larger dog breeds)
 Most breeds come into estrus twice a year
 Females
 Estrus is the formal word for “heat”
 A dog is said to be “in heat” when she is receptive to the male
 This occurs after the release of an egg from the ovary (ovulation)
 Ovulation signals a rise in progesterone, which is a hormone needed to maintain a
pregnancy
 Hormone disorders contribute to reproductive failure, an important economic factor in
breeding programs
 Mating
 During mating, a part of the penis enlarges a little more than the rest, and is held in
place by vaginal muscles; this is known as the tie
 The animals will face away from each other during this phase; this happens only in dogs
 Pregnancy
 Pregnancy in dogs is approximately 63 days (more in some breeds)
 Litters can be anywhere from three to twelve animals
 Birth
 Parturition (the act of birth) is referred to as “whelping” in dogs
 Dystocia: difficult birth
 Weaning: withdrawal from the mother’s milk. Can be done from 6-8 weeks old
 Caesarian section – Exteriorizing, cloning always done with caesarian
 Dogs can suffer from “false pregnancy”
o The exhibit the signs of estrus, they may lactate, and they will show mothering
behaviors like making a nest
 Prevention
 Spay is the common term for ovariohysterectomy
 Neuter or castration is the common term for orchiectomy
o Cryptorchid – testicle that has not descended. Bilateral = on both sides
 Can become cancerous or enlarged – produce excessive testosterone
 Prevents pet overpopulation, as well as reduces the risk of certain diseases
 Socialization
 Socializing puppies to both humans and other dogs is best done at 3-4 months of age
 Vaccines must be effective before contact with other dogs? – Mothers milk (colostrum)
o Dog breeds
 Breeds are groups of dogs with similar genetic make-up who have been bred only to dogs of the
same breed. They are also referred to as purebreds.
 Have certain characteristic in common
 AKC


The American Kennel Club is the main authority for describing what constitutes a
specific breed
 Breed characteristics include color, size, stance, head size, and shape (especially tails
and ears)
 Dog Shows
 Show dogs compete at juried shows (Westminster Kennel Club)
 There are field trials for hunting dogs, and obedience trials for agility and response to
commands
 Categories of purebreds
 Working dogs: German Shepherd (slant back), Saint Bernard
 Sporting breeds: Golden retrievers, Weimaraners, cocker spaniels
 Terriers: Cairn terrier, West Highland White Terrier
 Hounds: Basset hound, greyhound
 Toy breeds: Maltese, shih tsu
 Nonsporting: Boston terrier, dalmation
Felis catus – official name for domestic cats
o Queen (female) and tom (male)
o Reproductive differences
 Felis catus is a stimulated ovulatory (will not ovulate until they mate)
 Estrus behaviors are exaggerated, including lordosis (arching back) and howling behaviors
 Cats are seasonally polyestrus
 Will have several estrus cycles during season
 Pregnancy
 Pregnancy is essentially the same length in dogs as cats (63 Days)
o Fetus can become mummified and be absorbed
 One to ten kittens are born; can be multiple sires
 Queening instead of whelping
 Should not be spayed before 6 months.
 Altricial vs. precocial
 Cats and dogs have altricial young (helpless, depend on parents); horses and ungulates
have precocial (can see, hear and find food) young
 Feline puberty is usually at 6 to 8 months old
 The young
 Unaltered toms will begin to spray, a form of territorial marking (very strong smell)
o This behavior is hard to erase, even after orchiectomy
 Pheromones can help (odor specific to that species, by glands, sebaceous. Can be
calming and soothing)
o Shows
 The Cat Fanciers Association governs most shows
o Breeds
 Siamese, Tonkinese, Persian (brachy cephalic – flat faced), Maine Coon (can be 20 to 22 lbs, can
develop cardio megaly – enlarged heart)
 Dolichocephalic – long pointy snout
 Tabby, Seal Point Himalayan
 DSH – Domestic short hair (most common), DMH – Medium, DLH – long
 90% of orange cats are male. Calico = 3 different colors. Seal point = black/brown legs
and face
o Behaviors
 Cats tend to be aloof, although that varies by breed
 Common problems include dominance issues, inappropriate elimination, and scratching
 May go outside of litter box because of bladder infection
 Onychetomy - declaw
o
o
Nutrition
 Absolutely crucial – cats eat the same thing every day. ONLY meat. They need tourine
(cardiomegaline without)
 Cats are strict carnivores; dogs are carnivores in the wild, but domestic dogs can be omnivores
 Nutrition and disease
 Diseases can be caused by poor nutrition (obesity, which is caused by people). Bone
disease without calcium.
 Some diseases can be controlled in whole or in part by diet (diabetes mellitus, lower
urinary tract disease)
Preventive care
 Vaccines – small amount of pathogen that causes disease. Could be killed or live – body will
respond to virus, create antibodies to prevent future infection “memory cells”
 Puppies and kittens at 6 to 12/16 weeks depending on the vaccine.
 Dogs: Distemper – attacks the nervous system, typically fatal. infectious canine
hepatitis – infection of the liver. Parvovirus – GI upset, bad smell, dehydrated, can be
fatal and is very contagious. parainfluenza, and rabies. In some areas, add leptospirosis
– bacteria, multi organ failure, effect other animals, transfers from water and urine and
Lyme disease
 Cats: feline viral rhinotracheitis - URI, calicivirus, panleukopenia – no white blood cells,
mutation of parvo. and rabies. Feline leukemia for outside cats
o Rabies – pupil cannot contract, nocturnal animals are up during the day. Most
people that get rabies will die. If animal bites and never had vaccine, typically it
will be euthanized. Any mammal can contract rabies.
 Can only be diagnosed by inspecting brain tissue, nergi bodies (freckles
on cell)
 Colostrum – from mothers milk received within 24 hrs of birth
 Passive immunity
 Effect on vaccination schedules – not sure when it loses effectiveness, which is why
vaccines are given as boosters.
 Other preventive health measures
 Annual exams; every six months for geriatric animals
 Deworming for kittens and puppies – medicine to kill intestinal parasites. Puppies at 2
weeks and kittens at 4 weeks.
 Fecal exam
 Dental care – bacteria can live in dental tartar.
 Diseases
 When an animal comes for an appointment, we start with the history
 Physical exam (nose to tail) – should be the same every time.
 Plan then treat
 Other vocabulary
 Outpatient/inpatient – stays for the night for treatment
 Radiography – image of the insides (CT scan, MRI, radiograph)
 Indication – something you should do/counter-indication – what you should not do
 URI – upper respiratory infection
 Parasites – living organisms that host on other organisms
o Fleas, hookworms
 Zoonotic disease – transmittable to a person
 Ringworm – fungus, treatable
 Toxoplasma – soil, rarely in cats
 Leishmania – sand flies, abnormal organ function, lives in blood.